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Word Gems
self-knowledge, authentic living, full humanity, continual awakening
Soulmate, Myself:
The Wedding Song
| 100 poems of the historical Troubadours analyzed, shedding light on the message of The Wedding Song. |
First Tier of 50 Poems
4. Kalenda maya
Neither calends of May
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Commentary by ChatGPT
First Tier of 50 Poems: a curated list selected not merely for fame but because they illuminate the philosophy of love embedded in troubadour lyric culture (c. 1150–1250) as opposed to definitions of love imposed by church and king.
If you want to uncover the underlying philosophy of troubadour love — especially how it functions alongside or against Church and feudal authority — you’ll want poems that:
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Define fin’amor (refined / courtly love)
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Reflect on secrecy, loyalty, merit (pretz), and worth
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Stage debates about love’s ethics (tensons / partimens)
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Critique kings, clergy, or power structures
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Show women’s voices (trobairitz)
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Address Crusade politics and moral authority
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Wrestle with desire vs. spiritual idealization
Kalenda maya – Raimbaut de Vaqueiras (c.1200)
1. Kalenda maia
Neither calends of May
2. Ni fueills de faia
nor beech-tree leaves
3. Ni chans d’auzell ni flors de glaia
nor songs of birds nor gladiolus flowers
4. Non es qe’m plaia,
are pleasing to me,
5. Pros dona gaia,
o noble and merry lady;
6. Tro q’un isnell messagier aia
until I should have a swift messenger
7. Del vostre bell cors, qi’m retraia
of your beautiful person to tell me
8. Plazer novell q’amors m’atraia
of new pleasures that love brings me;
9. E jaia,
and joy
10. E.m traia
that draws me
11. Vas vos, donna veraia,
to you, true lady;
12. E chaia
and may
13. De plaia
the jealous one,
14. L gelos, anz qe’m n’estraia.
fall wounded before I depart.
15. Ma bell’ amia,
My beautiful friend,
16. Per Dieu non sia
by God, this never be,
17. Qe ja’l gelos de mon dan ria,
that the jealous one should mock my pain;
18. Qe car vendria
he’d make dear
19. Sa gelozia,
his jealousy,
20. Si aitals dos amantz partia;
if he caused two such lovers to part;
21. Q’ieu ja joios mais non seria,
since I would never be joyful again,
22. Ni jois ses vos pro no’m tenria;
nor would joy hold me without you;
23. Tal via
such a path
24. Faria
I would take,
25. Q’oms ja mais no’m veiria;
that no one would ever see me again;
26. Cell dia
that day
27. Morria,
I would die,
28. Donna pros, q’ie.us perdria.
brave lady, in losing you.
29. Con er perduda
How could I lose
30. Ni m’er renduda
or gain back
31. Donna, s’enanz non l’ai aguda
a lady before I have had her?
32. Qe drutz ni druda
No lover by heart alone
33. Non es per cuda;
is such by mere thought;
34. Mas qant amantz en drut si muda,
but when a suitor turns into a lover,
35. L’onors es granz qe’l n’es creguda,
great is the honour he accrues,
36. E.l bels semblanz fai far tal bruda;
and fair semblance brings such fame;
37. Qe nuda
yet naked
38. Tenguda
held
39. No.us ai, ni d’als vencuda;
I have not you, nor have others won you;
40. Volguda,
desired,
41. Cresuda
believed,
42. Vos ai, ses autr’ajuda.
I have you, without other aid.
43. Tart m’esjauzira,
I would little rejoice,
44. Pos ja.m partira,
since I depart,
45. Bells Cavalhiers, de vos ab ira,
fair knights, in your anger,
46. Q’ailhors no.s vira
since my heart turns nowhere else
47. Mos cors, ni.m tira
nor drags me
48. Mos deziriers, q’als non dezira;
my desires, which desire nothing else;
49. Q’a lauzengiers sai q’abellira,
for I know the flatterers would be pleased,
50. Donna, q’estiers non lur garira;
lady, for otherwise they’d find no cure;
51. Tals vira,
such one would see
52. Sentira
and would hear
53. Mos danz, qi.lls vos grazira,
my plight, which they would thank you for,
54. Qe.us mira,
as he looks at you,
55. Cossira
and considers
56. Cuidanz, don cors sospira.
in his presumption, for which my heart sighs.
57. Tant gent comesa,
So many people begin,
58. Part totas gensa,
so all the people everywhere,
59. Na Beatritz, e pren creissensa
Lady Beatriz, and take confidence
60. Vostra valensa;
in your valour;
61. Per ma credensa,
in my belief,
62. De pretz garnitz vostra tenensa
your estate adorned with worth
63. E de bels ditz, senes failhensa;
and with fair speech, lacking no wisdom;
64. De faitz grazitz tenetz semença;
by gracious deeds you have gathered seed;
65. Siensa,
without,
66. Sufrensa
suffering,
67. Avetz e coneissensa;
you have both knowledge and insight;
68. Valensa
Valour
69. Ses tensa
as confident
70. Vistetz ab benvolensa.
you are seen with benevolence.
71. Donna grazida,
Gracious lady,
72. Qecs lauz’ e crida
whom all praise and proclaim
73. Vostra valor q’es abellida,
your worth, which is beautiful,
74. E qi.us oblida,
and he who forgets you,
75. Pauc li val vida,
prizes life but a little,
76. Per q’ie.us azor, donn’ eissernida;
for whom I adore you, o noble lady;
77. Qar per gencor vos ai chauzida
for through courtesy I have chosen you
78. E per meilhor, de prez complida,
and as the best, filled with worth,
79. Blandida,
favoured,
80. Servida
served
81. Genses q’Erecs Enida.
more kindly than Eric did Enid.
82. Bastida,
Now composed,
83. Finida,
and ended,
84. N’Engles, ai l’estampida.
Lady Engles, I have the estampida.
Commentary:
Lines 1-28
1. Kalenda maia
Neither calends of May
2. Ni fueills de faia
nor beech-tree leaves
3. Ni chans d’auzell ni flors de glaia
nor songs of birds nor gladiolus flowers
4. Non es qe’m plaia,
are pleasing to me,
5. Pros dona gaia,
o noble and merry lady;
6. Tro q’un isnell messagier aia
until I should have a swift messenger
7. Del vostre bell cors, qi’m retraia
of your beautiful person to tell me
8. Plazer novell q’amors m’atraia
of new pleasures that love brings me;
9. E jaia,
and joy
10. E.m traia
that draws me
11. Vas vos, donna veraia,
to you, true lady;
12. E chaia
and may
13. De plaia
the jealous one,
14. L gelos, anz qe’m n’estraia.
fall wounded before I depart.
15. Ma bell’ amia,
My beautiful friend,
16. Per Dieu non sia
by God, this never be,
17. Qe ja’l gelos de mon dan ria,
that the jealous one should mock my pain;
18. Qe car vendria
he’d make dear
19. Sa gelozia,
his jealousy,
20. Si aitals dos amantz partia;
if he caused two such lovers to part;
21. Q’ieu ja joios mais non seria,
since I would never be joyful again,
22. Ni jois ses vos pro no’m tenria;
nor would joy hold me without you;
23. Tal via
such a path
24. Faria
I would take,
25. Q’oms ja mais no’m veiria;
that no one would ever see me again;
26. Cell dia
that day
27. Morria,
I would die,
28. Donna pros, q’ie.us perdria.
brave lady, in losing you.
Paraphrase:
When the first days of May arrive — when trees leaf out, birds sing, and bright flowers bloom — none of it delights me. Spring itself gives me no pleasure, noble and joyful lady, unless I receive a swift message from you. Until someone comes from your beautiful presence to tell me of some new favor, some fresh sign that love is drawing you toward me, I cannot rejoice. What I long for is joy that moves me toward you, true lady — and I even wish that the jealous guardian would be struck down before he can separate us.
My beautiful beloved, God forbid that this jealous man should laugh at my suffering. If he were to succeed in separating two such lovers, he would triumph in his jealousy at great cost to us. For if I were parted from you, I would never be happy again. Joy itself could not sustain me without you. I would take such a path of grief and withdrawal that no one would ever see me again. That very day, brave lady, I would die — for to lose you would be death itself.
Glossary
• Kalenda maia – The calends (first day) of May; a traditional symbol of spring, renewal, and love.
• faia – Beech tree; emblem of flourishing nature.
• auzell – Bird.
• glaia – Gladiolus or bright flowering plant.
• pros – Worthy, noble, possessing excellence.
• isnell – Swift, nimble.
• cors – Body or person; often implying physical presence.
• gelos – The jealous one; typically a husband or guardian who prevents the lovers’ union in troubadour poetry.
• dan – Harm, injury, emotional pain.
• jois – Joy; in troubadour vocabulary, the exalted joy of love.
• donna pros – A lady of excellence and virtue.
Historical note:
This poem belongs to the mature period of troubadour lyric in the late 12th to early 13th century, composed by Raimbaut de Vaqueiras. The setting reflects the conventions of fin’amor (refined or courtly love), where the lady is often socially superior and guarded by a jealous husband (gelos). Spring imagery — especially May — was traditional in Occitan lyric, symbolizing erotic awakening and renewal. Yet here the poet overturns the convention: nature’s joy is meaningless without reciprocal love. The jealous husband was a stock figure, but also reflects real aristocratic marriage structures of medieval Provence and northern Italy, where such poetry circulated in courts like that of Montferrat.
Author:
Raimbaut de Vaqueiras (c. 1150–1207) was a Provençal troubadour who served the court of Boniface I of Montferrat. Unlike many troubadours, he traveled widely and even participated in crusading campaigns. “Kalenda Maia” is especially famous because its melody was adapted from an instrumental estampida he reportedly heard performed by jongleurs — making it one of the rare troubadour songs with a securely identified musical origin. The poem reflects both artistic refinement and personal intensity, suggesting a poet deeply invested in the emotional reality of courtly devotion.
Modern connection:
The speaker’s emotional condition feels strikingly contemporary. External beauty — springtime, music, flowers — means nothing when one is uncertain in love. Many today recognize this: no achievement, no seasonal beauty, no distraction compensates for relational insecurity. The anxiety about separation, the fear of ridicule, and the longing for reassurance through communication (“a swift messenger”) resemble modern dependence on texts, calls, and signs of affirmation.
Deeper significance:
At first glance, the poem appears to celebrate romantic attachment. Yet more profoundly, it reveals how love reorders perception. Nature’s renewal — normally the supreme sign of joy — becomes empty without communion. Love is not merely pleasure; it becomes the organizing principle of reality. Joy is not located in flowers or birds but in reciprocal recognition.
In early troubadour poetry, love was often treated as ennobling suffering — desire refined the lover’s character through distance and longing. Over time, however, the emphasis shifted from distant adoration (“love as discipline and purification”) toward a more intense personal union (“love as existential necessity”).
In this poem we see that transition: love is no longer only a refining courtly exercise; it becomes life itself. To lose the beloved is to lose being. The poet’s identity, joy, and even survival depend upon union.
Thus love here is both elevating and dangerous. It gives meaning to the world — but also renders the lover utterly vulnerable. The jealous rival symbolizes any force that interrupts communion. The poem suggests that human life finds its deepest vitality not in nature’s cycles, but in relational fidelity. Love becomes a metaphysical center: without it, spring is winter, and existence collapses into death.
Lines 29-56
29. Con er perduda
How could I lose
30. Ni m’er renduda
or gain back
31. Donna, s’enanz non l’ai aguda
a lady before I have had her?
32. Qe drutz ni druda
No lover by heart alone
33. Non es per cuda;
is such by mere thought;
34. Mas qant amantz en drut si muda,
but when a suitor turns into a lover,
35. L’onors es granz qe’l n’es creguda,
great is the honour he accrues,
36. E.l bels semblanz fai far tal bruda;
and fair semblance brings such fame;
37. Qe nuda
yet naked
38. Tenguda
held
39. No.us ai, ni d’als vencuda;
I have not you, nor have others won you;
40. Volguda,
desired,
41. Cresuda
believed,
42. Vos ai, ses autr’ajuda.
I have you, without other aid.
43. Tart m’esjauzira,
I would little rejoice,
44. Pos ja.m partira,
since I depart,
45. Bells Cavalhiers, de vos ab ira,
fair knights, in your anger,
46. Q’ailhors no.s vira
since my heart turns nowhere else
47. Mos cors, ni.m tira
nor drags me
48. Mos deziriers, q’als non dezira;
my desires, which desire nothing else;
49. Q’a lauzengiers sai q’abellira,
for I know the flatterers would be pleased,
50. Donna, q’estiers non lur garira;
lady, for otherwise they’d find no cure;
51. Tals vira,
such one would see
52. Sentira
and would hear
53. Mos danz, qi.lls vos grazira,
my plight, which they would thank you for,
54. Qe.us mira,
as he looks at you,
55. Cossira
and considers
56. Cuidanz, don cors sospira.
in his presumption, for which my heart sighs.
Paraphrase:
How could I be said to have “lost” you — or to have been “restored” to you — if I have never truly possessed you in the first place? One cannot call oneself a true lover merely by thinking so. A man does not become a lover by imagination alone. But when a suitor truly becomes a lover in deed and reality, then the honor he gains is great, and the outward signs of favor give rise to renown.
Yet though I desire you, and believe myself yours, I have not held you physically — nor has anyone else conquered you. You are not possessed in the literal sense. Still, in longing and in faith, I hold you as mine, without needing any other confirmation.
I would take little joy in departing from you, noble knights — especially if you are angered. My heart turns nowhere else; my desires pull me nowhere else, nor do they wish for anything other than her. I know that the slanderers — those malicious flatterers — would be delighted if we were separated, lady, for otherwise they would have no satisfaction. Such a man would eagerly watch and listen for signs of my suffering, and would even thank you for it, as he looks at you and judges in his presumption — and for this reason my heart sighs deeply.
Glossary
• drut / druda – Lover (male / female); in troubadour usage, a fully realized beloved relationship.
• per cuda – By thought alone; merely by imagining or assuming.
• semblanz – Outward appearance, favor, or visible sign of grace from the lady.
• bruda – Fame, rumor, public report.
• nuda tenguda – Literally “held naked”; implying physical possession or consummation.
• volguda – Desired, wished for.
• cresuda – Believed, trusted as true.
• esjauzira – To rejoice or take delight.
• lauzengiers – Slanderers, gossipers, malicious flatterers who undermine lovers.
• cuidanz – Presumptuous thinking; self-important assumption.
Historical note:
This section reflects a key tension in fin’amor: the difference between imagined love and embodied love. In aristocratic courts of the late 12th century, especially those connected with northern Italy and Provence, reputation (bruda) and outward signs of favor (semblanz) mattered greatly. Love was partly interior, but also public — it conferred honor. The mention of lauzengiers (slanderers) is typical of troubadour lyric; these figures represent social surveillance in tightly structured feudal courts. In such settings, romantic attachment was not purely private — it existed under constant scrutiny.
Author:
Raimbaut de Vaqueiras wrote within this courtly environment, likely during his service to the house of Montferrat in northern Italy. His poetry shows an awareness of both social hierarchy and emotional realism. Unlike earlier troubadours who emphasized distant adoration, Raimbaut’s tone here suggests a more psychologically complex love — aware of reputation, embodiment, jealousy, and social tension.
Modern connection:
This passage feels strikingly modern in its reflection on emotional versus physical intimacy. The poet asks: Can one claim love without real shared experience? Today we might frame this as the difference between fantasy and lived relationship. There is also the pressure of public perception — gossip, social commentary, outside opinions — which in our time might correspond to social media, peer judgment, or cultural expectations. The poet’s awareness that others might relish his suffering reflects a timeless vulnerability: love places one’s dignity at risk.
Deeper significance:
This section deepens the philosophical dimension of the poem. Earlier, love appeared as existential necessity — without it, life ends. Here, Raimbaut examines what love actually is. It is not merely mental projection (“by thought alone”). Love requires transformation — “when a suitor turns into a lover.” That shift implies commitment, risk, and embodied reality.
In early troubadour tradition, love was often idealized as distant devotion — almost spiritualized longing. Over time, however, the poetry increasingly confronted the paradox of possession: one desires union, yet true love resists ownership. Here we see that evolution. The poet admits he has not “held” her physically; love is not conquest. Yet he claims her inwardly through desire and belief.
Thus love moves from external chivalric performance to interior existential truth. It becomes less about winning fame and more about authentic transformation. At the same time, the threat of gossip shows that love unfolds within a moral and social order. Love elevates — but also exposes.
Ultimately, the passage suggests that real love requires both inward conviction and outward reality. It cannot live solely in imagination; nor can it be reduced to physical possession. It exists in the tension between longing and honor, desire and restraint, private devotion and public reputation. Love, in this troubadour vision, is a refining fire that reshapes identity — but only if it passes from fantasy into lived fidelity.
Lines 57-84
57. Tant gent comesa,
So many people begin,
58. Part totas gensa,
so all the people everywhere,
59. Na Beatritz, e pren creissensa
Lady Beatriz, and take confidence
60. Vostra valensa;
in your valour;
61. Per ma credensa,
in my belief,
62. De pretz garnitz vostra tenensa
your estate adorned with worth
63. E de bels ditz, senes failhensa;
and with fair speech, lacking no wisdom;
64. De faitz grazitz tenetz semença;
by gracious deeds you have gathered seed;
65. Siensa,
without,
66. Sufrensa
suffering,
67. Avetz e coneissensa;
you have both knowledge and insight;
68. Valensa
Valour
69. Ses tensa
as confident
70. Vistetz ab benvolensa.
you are seen with benevolence.
71. Donna grazida,
Gracious lady,
72. Qecs lauz’ e crida
whom all praise and proclaim
73. Vostra valor q’es abellida,
your worth, which is beautiful,
74. E qi.us oblida,
and he who forgets you,
75. Pauc li val vida,
prizes life but a little,
76. Per q’ie.us azor, donn’ eissernida;
for whom I adore you, o noble lady;
77. Qar per gencor vos ai chauzida
for through courtesy I have chosen you
78. E per meilhor, de prez complida,
and as the best, filled with worth,
79. Blandida,
favoured,
80. Servida
served
81. Genses q’Erecs Enida.
more kindly than Eric did Enid.
82. Bastida,
Now composed,
83. Finida,
and ended,
84. N’Engles, ai l’estampida.
Lady Engles, I have the estampida.
Paraphrase:
So many people begin things lightly, and crowds everywhere make their judgments — but, Lady Beatriz, let them instead grow in their recognition of your worth. In my conviction, your position is adorned with true honor; you are furnished with noble reputation and with beautiful speech, lacking no refinement. Through gracious deeds you have planted lasting seeds of goodness. You possess knowledge and understanding without harshness or strain; your valor is steady, free from contentious pride, and you are seen by all with goodwill and benevolence.
Gracious lady, whom everyone praises and proclaims for your beautiful excellence — whoever forgets you values life very little indeed. Therefore I cherish and honor you, noble lady. Out of true courtesy I have chosen you, and because you are the best, filled completely with worth. I favor and serve you more faithfully than Erec served Enide.
Now the poem is built and finished: Lady Engles, I have made the estampida.
Glossary
• Na Beatritz – “Lady Beatriz”; a respectful title (“Na”) used in Occitan for a noblewoman.
• pretz (prez) – Worth, honor, moral excellence; a central chivalric virtue.
• tenensa – Standing, estate, or position.
• bels ditz – Beautiful speech; refined language and cultivated expression.
• failhensa – Fault, deficiency, failure.
• faitz grazitz – Gracious deeds; acts of generosity and courtesy.
• siensa – Knowledge or wisdom.
• coneissensa – Understanding, discernment.
• valensa – Valor; strength combined with virtue.
• lauz’ – Praise.
• eissernida – Noble, distinguished, high-born.
• gencor – Courtesy, refinement, noble bearing.
• Erecs Enida – Reference to the lovers Erec and Enide from Arthurian romance.
• estampida – A lively dance form; here, a lyric adapted from an instrumental estampida.
Historical note:
This concluding section forms both a formal praise and a tornada (envoi), where the poet names or gestures toward the lady and closes the poem. The mention of Na Beatritz suggests a real noblewoman, possibly connected to the Italian court of Montferrat where Raimbaut de Vaqueiras served. The Arthurian comparison — Erec and Enide — draws from the romance tradition popularized by Chrétien de Troyes, showing how troubadour lyric and northern French romance culture intersected. By invoking Erec and Enide, Raimbaut situates his devotion within the highest literary model of loyal love. The final lines referencing the estampida recall the musical origins of this composition — a rare case where we know the melody was adapted from a dance tune.
Author:
Raimbaut de Vaqueiras (c. 1150–1207) was a cosmopolitan troubadour who moved between Provence and northern Italy, attached to the court of Boniface I of Montferrat. Unlike many earlier poets whose love remained abstract, Raimbaut often names and praises specific noblewomen. “Kalenda Maia” is particularly celebrated because he reportedly set his poem to a melody he heard performed instrumentally — transforming secular dance music into refined courtly lyric. The poem thus stands at a meeting point of music, romance literature, and aristocratic culture.
Modern connection:
The closing praise of Beatriz emphasizes character — intelligence, gracious deeds, honorable speech — not merely beauty. In a modern context, this resonates strongly: enduring love is rooted not only in attraction but in admiration of virtue and substance. The comparison to legendary lovers also reflects how people today measure relationships against cultural ideals drawn from literature, film, or shared narratives.
The final self-awareness (“I have finished the estampida”) reminds us that art shapes emotion. Just as music and poetry once carried devotion across courts, today songs and stories still articulate our deepest affections.
Deeper significance:
Here love moves from longing and vulnerability to affirmation and recognition. Earlier in the poem, love was fragile — threatened by jealousy and slander. In this final section, love becomes a declaration of value. The beloved is praised not only as an object of desire but as a moral and intellectual force. Love, in this mature troubadour vision, elevates both lover and beloved.
In early troubadour lyric, love often functioned as disciplined yearning — a distant, almost unattainable ideal that refined the lover through suffering. Over time, the emphasis shifted toward mutual worth and recognition: from “love as painful aspiration” to “love as shared nobility.” In this poem we see that evolution. The beloved is not merely an unreachable star; she is a person of wisdom, generosity, and active virtue. The lover’s devotion becomes service rooted in admiration.
The invocation of Erec and Enide signals another shift: from secret longing toward loyal partnership. Arthurian romance often explores the testing and proving of marital devotion. By claiming he serves her “more than Erec served Enide,” Raimbaut suggests love as fidelity and steadfastness, not merely passion.
Thus the deeper meaning of love here is transformative admiration. Love recognizes excellence, chooses it freely, and commits to it publicly. It refines perception, orders values, and gives artistic expression. The poem ends not in despair but in crafted harmony — love becomes song, and song becomes testimony.
In this vision, love is not merely emotion; it is an act of choosing the good, praising it, and aligning one’s life with it.
Brief summary of the entire poem
Kalenda Maya is a courtly love poem that begins with the poet’s declaration that spring — with its flowers, birdsong, and renewed life — brings him no joy unless he receives a message from his beloved. The first section emphasizes longing, desire, and the threat of a jealous rival (gelos) who might prevent the lovers’ union. The speaker’s life and happiness are depicted as entirely dependent upon the lady’s attention and recognition.
In the middle sections, Raimbaut explores the nature of true love. He distinguishes mere fanciful longing from real, embodied devotion, showing that honor, outward signs of favor, and mutual recognition are essential for love to exist. He acknowledges the presence of slanderers and social pressures, highlighting the public dimension of courtly love and the risks of vulnerability.
The final sections transition from desire to praise. The poet extols the virtues, wisdom, and valor of the lady — Lady Beatriz — comparing his service to legendary lovers like Erec and Enide. He frames love as both admiration and faithful service, emphasizing moral and intellectual worth alongside beauty. The poem concludes with a formal closure, referencing the musical form (estampida) that accompanies the lyric, blending song, devotion, and art.
Overall, Kalenda Maya traces love from longing and vulnerability through recognition and affirmation, illustrating the troubadour ideal of fin’amor: love as a transformative force that shapes identity, moral perception, and artistic expression.
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